RICH'S MISSION: NATURAL PRO CARD 2008

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Posted by: rich_55 Oct 1 2007, 10:54 PM

RICH'S MISSION: NATURAL PRO CARD 2008

Alright my BN brothers and sisters! My bodybuilding journaling began on this forum and I'm sticking to my roots. So, here is my journey to a natural pro card.

2007 has been a successful year in bodybuilding for me. I began the year in March with placing 5th at a VERY large non-tested show, the NPC Northern Kentucky. The next weekend I won the welterweight class at the NPC Natural Ohio and challenged well in the overall. I then signed with CONTROLLED LABS and set my sights on the NPC Ohio State Championships and the INBF Naturalmania Nationals.

6 months later I competed at 165 lbs versus 161 lbs in March and brought my best package yet to stage. I placed 4th in the middleweight class at the Ohio (non-tested) and finished 4th at the INBF Nationals. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers at the INBF Nationals each had me beat by only one point. The real victory in all of this is my own personal progression. I have come so far since when I first started competing and yet I have just scratched the surface of my own potential. Also, this fall I learned that I can hang with some big boys and going forward; a natural pro card is my mission.

user posted image

After dieting 7 of the last 12 months, an offseason is much needed. To obtain a natural pro card, a few things must be improved.

1) Improve Conditioning - I need to dial in my conditioning to the show more hamstring, glute and abdominal definition. This will simply take 3-4 more weeks of dieting and I will surely give myself plenty of time to come in more shredded. As always, I will stay lean during the offseason to make this objective easier.
2) Bring Up Weak Areas - My focus this offseason is predominantly on my arms, shoulders and chest. I will train with 150% intensity on these days and will increase my caloric intake accordingly to bolster growth.
3) Add More Size - Adding more size in general is a necessity and I have landed a solid training partner to help me push myself beyond my limits.

The shows I'm aiming to do for 2008 are the exactly the same, which gives me 7-8 months to grow and more than enough time to cut...

The NPC Ohio State Championships and the INBF Naturalmania Nationals

Meanwhile, I will continue to work with CONTROLLED LABS whose supplements have become vital to my training and diet regiment. I have also signed with MAX MUSCLE SPORTS NUTRITION who will be providing me with their excellent line of protein powders. I continue to grow my training business and my website http://"http://www.RichBodyFit.com" will continue to be enhanced. This next year will be very good for me to simply lift hard and eat big. LET THE GAINS BEGIN!!!

Posted by: opfor101 Oct 1 2007, 11:14 PM

Looks like we have similar weaknesses, good to know i have another log to compare with, to see what I am lacking in within my own training and dieting.

Have fun with the next year of eating and lifting

btw, do you have any plans on where you would compete for the pro card or is it too early to answer?

Posted by: Will109090 Oct 1 2007, 11:36 PM

Looking good Rich! I'll definitely be following this log during the course of the year and up to your competitions.

For your traps, do you do anything other than deadlifts and shrugs to hit them?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 2 2007, 09:16 AM

QUOTE (opfor101 @ Oct 1 2007, 11:14 PM)

btw, do you have any plans on where you would compete for the pro card or is it too early to answer?

It is listed in bold, red letters above.

NYC next year man! You should do the the teen division for your competitive debut!

-----------------------------

DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS

My diet will be around 3000 calories for the first 3-4 weeks postcontest with substantially more carbs and a little more fat, which will provide a very substantial anabolic boost. Supplements will be kept to the essentials plus a megadose of cissus to hopefully help some nagging joint issues. Cissus is dosed 30 minutes before meals. I will also continue to take Ultra 40 caps with each meal for extra b-vitamins. I also drink 1.5 to 2 gallons of water daily.

Cheating is typically once maybe twice per week, typically done after weak point training when I want to max my cals. After my show, I slammed food and beverage for an entire day and then got on this plan the very next day. I have since stuck to my plan with the occasional cheat and am sitting SUPER lean still at 167 lbs!!

Meal 1:
1/2 c oats
1/2 banana
1 scoop banana MaxPro
1 scoop peanut butter fudge Max Gourmet Protein
3 Orange Triad caps (to be added this month)
2 super epa caps
1 g cissus powder

Meal 2:
8 oz 96/4 lean beef
1 small apple

Meal 3:
8 oz lean chicken
1 t olive oil
1 medium sweet potato
1 c broccoli/green beans
1 g cissus powder

Meal 4:
1 scoop banana Max Pro
1 scoop peanut butter fudge Max Gourmet Protein

30 minutes Preworkout:
2 scoops White Flood
1 scoop Green Magnitude
2 g ALCAR
100 mg R-ALA
1 g cissus powder

Immediately Preworkout/During Workout (split evenly):
2 scoops Purple Wraath
10 g Max Glutamine
30 g waxy maize starch

Postworkout:
30 g waxy maize starch
3 scoops berry blast Max Iso Xtreme whey
3 caps Orange Triad

Meal 6:
8 oz lean steak
1 slice 100% whole wheat bread
1 c broccoli/green beans
2 super epa caps
1 g cissus powder

Meal 7:
1/2 c cottage cheese
1 scoop strawberry MaxPro
1 T natural peanut butter
ZMA (before bed)

Posted by: Doogsy Oct 2 2007, 09:38 AM

Good luck during the coming year. Ill definately be keeping it locked onto this thread to steal some of your training and diet methods

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 2 2007, 09:44 AM

QUOTE (Will109090 @ Oct 1 2007, 11:36 PM)

Looking good Rich! I'll definitely be following this log during the course of the year and up to your competitions.

For your traps, do you do anything other than deadlifts and shrugs to hit them?

Good stuff! Basically just shrugs, but deads certainly help. I did these two days ago. I know I can bust out 130's for DB shrugs, but instead I grabbed 100's and squeezed real hard at the top holding the contraction. I then lowered the weight down very slow and paused at the bottom feeling the stretch even on my middle traps. I barely got 12 reps, but I'm REALLY sore today.

Speaking of training.....

RICH'S TRAINING PROGRAM

I switch up my workouts every 5-6 weeks. My style is quite high intensity. So much so that my dentist has required me to where mouthgaurd when lifting so that I stop grinding my teeth flat. Slow negatives, strong contractions, full stretch, constant tension, work the muscle to DEATH....not the weight. I also use mini rest pauses on most sets to squeeze out extra reps. My training partner has allowed me to take it up a notch as well with more forced reps. This boy is a genetic, natural freak and competes as well.

This has become my favorite training split and will allow me to focus on my two priority days.

Day 1- Legs
Day 2- Chest & Bis - PRIORITY
Day 3- Off
Day 4- Back
Day 5- Delts & Tris - PRIORITY
Day 6- Off
Repeat

This is how it went down the past few days just getting back after it with several days off and not having lifted heavy really in 3 weeks.

Legs
Squats 315 x 7 x 5
Front Squat Machine A2G 270 x 9, 290 x 9+
Lying Leg Curls 110 x 11 tendon hurts, 90 x 10

High Stance Leg Press 450 x 15, 500 x 10
Donkey Calf Raises 320 x 10 x 9
Seated Calf Raises 145 x 10 x 9

Chest & Bis - PRIORITY
Incline DB Press 90 x 8 x 7 x 6
Incline DB Flys 65 x 10 x 9
Flat Benchpress 225 x 4, 205 x 6
Weighted Dips 35 x 9, 40 x 7
Barbell Curls 95 x 9, 100 x 7
Preacher Curl Machine 70 x 10 x 8
Standing Hammer Curls 40 x 8 x 7

Back
Deadlifts - legs too sore to do this week, still feeling em 5 days later

T-Bar Rows 135 x 7 x 6 x 6
Wide-Grip Pulldowns 190 x 8 x 6
Close-Grip Weighted Chins 25 x 6 x 6
Standing DB Shrugs 100 x 12, 105 x 10 really slow
Rear Delt Machine 90 x 11, 95 x 9 x 9

Delts & Tris - PRIORITY
Seated Military Presses 165 x 9, 170 x 7 x 6
Seated DB Laterals 27.5 x 11, 28.75 x 10
Upright Bar Rows 70 x 11, 75 x 9
Close-Grip Bench 185 x 8 x 6
Decline EZ-Extensions 85 x 9, 90 x 6
DB Kickbacks 25 x 11, 26.25 x 10

I train high intensity all the time, but I will use every single ounce of energy in my body on my priority days. My cheat meals or higher calorie meals will also be consumed postworkout pushing my calories in excess of 3600 on those days. The next morning I will eat a little more clean as well adding a few hundred extra calories. Yesterday, I cheated clean and did the following to ensure maximal growth:

Preworkout: 1 cap P-Slin & 15 g extra waxy maize starch
During Workout: 15 g extra waxy maize starch
Postworkout: 15 g extra waxy maize starch
Meal 6: 8 oz lean beef, 1 c whole-wheat pasta, 3 roma tomatoes & 1 t olive oil made into sauce, 2 t parmesan cheese, 2 super epa, 1 super enzymes cap
Meal 7: 50% more everything w/ 1 super enzymes cap
This Morning/Afternoon: 1 extra scoop Max Gourmet, little more oats, slightly bigger sweet potato, 12 mass amino caps

Posted by: opfor101 Oct 2 2007, 09:31 PM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 2 2007, 09:16 AM)

QUOTE (opfor101 @ Oct 1 2007, 11:14 PM)

btw, do you have any plans on where you would compete for the pro card or is it too early to answer?

It is listed in bold, red letters above.

hmmmm, i really should sign up for the teen class thingie they have at the place.

although ill need help with the posing, especially the lat spread (i have the hardest time with that)

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 4 2007, 09:50 PM

LEGS
Legs yesterday were kinda tough b/c I was still kinda sore from my workout 6 DAYS BEFORE! Regardless, I pounded it out and did particularly well on my hamstring exercises moving up on both. My tendon felt much belt as well doing the lying leg curls SUPER slow with 90 and 95 lbs. Maybe the cissus is working already.

CHEST AND BIS
Chest and bis felt awesome today as I got more reps on most things and moved up on dips and hammer curls. I just focused on working the muscles as hard as possible. Mega clean calories have and will be smashed since to generate growth

WEEKEND EXCITEMENT!!
This weekend I have a photoshoot, client's first show in Cleveland and I begin shooting my training DVD with Max Muscle.

My photoshoot is with Nevrilk Photo to build my personal portfolio. My conditioning is still on par with how I looked a few weeks ago strangely despite eating much more food. Keeping it clean makes a world of difference! Eating more food has seriously jacked up my metabolism as it was probably slowed from the dieting.

I'm holding at 167 lbs and everyone keeps telling me I should just tan up and do the NPC Natural Northern. I am done though for the year and it is my client's time to shine now! My client is looking RIPPED and he should definitely bring home some hardware in his first show. I'm prepping my training partner for this next few weekends too who looks UNREAL! He'll be gunning for top honors in each show, including a WNBF pro card next weekend if he takes the overall.

My photoshoot prep has included hitting the tanning bed a few times with a few coats of sunless tanning lotion. I cut sodium and lactose today and tomorrow. I will be trying a new product, Max Diurx, tomorrow and Saturday to cut water a bit. I did not feel like drinking excess water and tapering down, so I'll continue to drink my normal 1.5 to 2 gallons and see how this works. I figured experimenting while still ripped up could be a learning experience. I'll do my typical Friday and Saturday peaking diet with plenty of carbs and grapefruit.

I'll talk more about the training DVD later.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 7 2007, 07:59 PM

Natural Northern and Photoshoot

The weekend was great, but extremely hectic. My client placed 7th out of 13 in a very competitive class that included the overall bodybuilding champ. He looked great and he certainly transformed for his first show.

The shoot was quick, but we certainly snagged a few good pictures. I am interested to see the shots. He showed me some as we were shooting and he joked that I should of jumped up on stage.

Back and Delts/Tris

After the shoot I smashed back at the Sheffield Lake World's west of Cleveland. I did deadlifts for the first time in a while pumping out 365 x 9 and 375 x 8. These felt good and I will certainly be jumping up quickly on these. I didn't feel 100%, but I am certainly SORE today. T-bars and lat pulldowns felt good. I threw out the close-grip pullups and substituted wide grip seated rows to prioritize thickness in my back versus width.

Delts and Tris went AWESOME...

Seated Military Presses 170 x 9, 175 x 7 x 6
Seated DB Laterals 28.75 x 11, 30 x 9 x 9
Upright Bar Rows 75 x 11, 80 x 8 x 8
Close-Grip Bench 185 x 9, 195 x 6
Decline EZ Extensions 110 x 5, 100 x 6
DB Kickbacks 26.25 x 11, 27.5 x 12

Strength felt awesome and I looked much fuller than ever before. These next 7-8 months of growing are gonna be fun!!!!!

The DVD shooting was postponed to next due to the owner of Max Muscle being ill. We are shooting a training/nutrition DVD for the average person.

Posted by: Will109090 Oct 8 2007, 12:29 AM

How long do you typically spend on your workout?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 8 2007, 10:02 AM

QUOTE (Will109090 @ Oct 8 2007, 12:29 AM)

How long do you typically spend on your workout?

Typically 45-60 minutes in the offseason. Quick and efficient.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 9 2007, 10:05 AM

You know you're a bodybuilder when....

You eat twice on one date

Certainly a first for me!

This was a second date with a girl who is very much into health and fitness. We hit up a healthy, organic restaurant to start. I slammed a bowl of brown rice, fresh veggies, tofu and extra chicken topped with an awesome curry sauce.

Then, coffee at starbucks and we headed to one of the best patios in town for two glasses of red wine. Midway through the second glass, I asked if she was in a hurry. She was not, so I ordered a kobe beef strip steak with extra asparagus.

She happily had a few bites. Delicious!! Next time, I will tell them to hold the butter though.

ETG = EATING TO GROW!!

Posted by: JW32Hoops Oct 9 2007, 10:11 AM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 9 2007, 10:05 AM)

You know you're a bodybuilder when....

You eat twice on one date

Certainly a first for me!

She happily had a few bites. Delicious!! Next time, I will tell them to hold the butter though.

ETG = EATING TO GROW!!

Sounds like a pretty good date to me....awesome that she's into the fitness scene too. It'll be much easier just having her understand why you need to eat/drink certain things (or more importantly, why you can't eat/drink certain things) and your schedule, etc. Dating someone who doesn't "get it" can be tough...always having to explain things to her and her still not understading why it's important to you.

Posted by: Jason2459 Oct 9 2007, 10:20 AM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 9 2007, 09:05 AM)

You know you're a bodybuilder when....

You eat twice on one date

Certainly a first for me!

She happily had a few bites. Delicious!! Next time, I will tell them to hold the butter though.

ETG = EATING TO GROW!!

She sounds great to me. ETG... you'd be such a good powerlifter.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 9 2007, 12:43 PM

Yeah, it was a great date and she certainly has potential. I'll certainly be seeing more of her. Regardless, it has been fun getting back into the dating scene again.

I haven't ruled out doing a meet this next year. All of my focus needs to be on my weak points though.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 9 2007, 09:17 PM

Did 30 minutes of cardio yesterday split between jogging and elliptical out of guilt splurging on Brio and First Watch food smashing after my shoot.

Today was legs. I'm still struggling with my squats due to lagging soreness. Day 1 deads after about 5 weeks off made my lower back quite sore. I did move up on all my ancillary lifts and was able to do a little mor volume. Next week should be promising.

Tomorrow is weak point training for chest and biceps and I'm psyched.

Posted by: Big_Ben Oct 10 2007, 01:10 PM

Go Riiiich Go Riiiich!!!

No eggs for breakfast?!!

How's that P-Slin?

Bust some ass for me bro, no slackin'!

Posted by: Tswole Oct 10 2007, 01:26 PM

I saw you took off your deads but what is typical poundage for ya?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 10 2007, 01:45 PM

QUOTE (Big_Ben @ Oct 10 2007, 01:10 PM)

Go Riiiich Go Riiiich!!!

No eggs for breakfast?!!

How's that P-Slin?

Bust some ass for me bro, no slackin'!

Hey Big Ben! I prefer to drink my breakfast.

Quick and I can slam more cals this way.

The P-Slin still rocks and I save it for my weak point days twice per week with mucho waxy maize pre, during and post!

Shoot man, I am training my tail off so that I can stack on some size!! No time for complacency! Gotta get that natty pro card next year!!!

------
Tswole, I have been able to rep out 405 for 12 and 435 for 6-7 in the past year. I'll be back up to 405 in a few weeks and in a few months I hope to be pulling mid-400 for reps.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 10 2007, 09:27 PM

I was psyched up to do this workout for 24 hours as both areas need such focus to improve. As I did this workout, I felt myself swell up like NEVER before while still displaying incredible separation! My bashing:

A1- Incline DB Press 90 x 9, 95 x 6 x 5
A2- Barbell Curls 100 x 9, 105 x 6
B1- Incline DB Flys 65 x 11, 70 x 8
B2- Preacher Machine 70 x 11, 75 x 8
C1- Flat Bench 205 x 9, 215 x 9
C2- Standing Hammer Curls 42.5 x 9, 45 x 6
Weighted Dips 45 x 7 x 6
D1- Behind-Back Bar Wrist Curls 115 x 11 x 9
D2- Reverse Bar Wrist Curls 45 x 11, 47.5 x 8

Notice the trend in weights upward with no sacrifice in form. I feel as BIG growth spurt coming on!!!

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 12 2007, 09:47 AM

I weighed in at 170 lbs yesterday, which is up 3 lbs in 10 days. I am staying very disciplined with my diet with occasional cheating saved for the weekend, which is keeping me VERY lean. I am thicker already particularly in my chest and triceps.

Today, I began taking Orange Triad. This will replace my Superpak multivitamin, Joint Care and 2 caps of R-ALA taken per day (will still take one preworkout). Supplement consolidation is a GOOD thing.

Another busy weekend:

- Tonight - Back, followed by my best friend's bachelor party
- Saturday - Driving up to Youngstown first thing for my training partner's show. Delts & Tris at some random gym between prejudging and finals.
- Sunday - DVD shoot with Max Muscle first thing. Best friend's wedding after.

Posted by: Will109090 Oct 12 2007, 04:56 PM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 12 2007, 09:47 AM)

- Tonight - Back, followed by my best friend's bachelor party

Sounds like you all might be having a good time tonight

Posted by: JW32Hoops Oct 14 2007, 12:27 PM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 10 2007, 09:27 PM)

Notice the trend in weights upward with no sacrifice in form.

Sick bro...well done, keep up the good work!

Posted by: JW32Hoops Oct 14 2007, 12:29 PM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Oct 12 2007, 09:47 AM)

Today, I began taking Orange Triad. This will replace my Superpak multivitamin, Joint Care and 2 caps of R-ALA taken per day (will still take one preworkout). Supplement consolidation is a GOOD thing.

That looks like some good stuff. I noticed the bottle they sell here on BN is 270 caps, but what is the serving size and suggested dosage?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 14 2007, 07:41 PM

Will - Oh, yes it was a good time. The "entertainment" was quite attractive and very hands on.

JW - Gains will be rapid these first few months as my body will sucking up excess calories like a anabolic sponge.

The suggested dosage is 6 caps per day (3 in am/3 pwo) lasting 45 days.

-----------------------

BACHELOR PARTY AND BACK
I survived this crazy weekend. My back workout was solid on Saturday with the biggest highlight being pulling 375 x 9 and 385 x 9. Next week I will give 395 a whirl. My entire back, top to bottom, was really sore.

Then, I punished my body with massive amounts of alcohol for my best friend's bachelor party.

We were all CRUSHED!! He had a great time and that is what matters most. Man did I bash some food slamming a 14 oz steak and mashed potatoes.

Liver detox supplementation was taken the next morning followed by mucho water.

TRAINING PARTNER KICKS SOME BUTT!!
The next morning I had to drive 2.5 hours to Youngstown, which was pretty rough. I didn't feel very well and actually passed on lifting due to the busy day. Yes, I was that hungover.

Hey, the occasion was quite rare. My training partner James smoked the lightweight class at the INBF Cardinal Classic and narrowly missed on taking the overall and WNBF pro card. He looked fantastic and was outsized by the lightheavyweight. It was REALLY close. I then smashed some Italian afterward. I got back into Columbus at 2:30 am to shoot my DVD the next morning.

DVD, WEDDING & MORE FOOD SMASHING
Today, we began filming the DVD, which will be called MAXIMUM FITNESS targeted towards beginners in collaboration with Max Muscle. We only had time for chest, which progressively was better as I loosened up more. We shot for 2 hours and hopefully got some decent stuff. The next several Sundays will be dedicated to filming.

Afterwards, I smashed my delts in 10 minutes and tris in 10 minutes with supersets, dropsets and whatever else I could do to blast them in the shortest time possible. I then hightailed to my buddy's wedding. I am very happy for him, as they are a great couple starting a beautiful family. My highlight was the 2 slices of prime rib, 2 pieces of chicken, piece of sea bass, green beans and lots of potatoes.

Yeah, so I splurged a TON this weekend and am looking forward to a week of clean eating. I did train very hard and the weekend was quite special. Time to grow, but I do need to keep my gains lean.

Posted by: Kevin43403 Oct 15 2007, 01:10 PM

I hope you get your pro card bacause you deserve it for the dedication you put into it.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 15 2007, 10:24 PM

QUOTE (Kevin43403 @ Oct 15 2007, 01:10 PM)

I hope you get your pro card bacause you deserve it for the dedication you put into it.

Thanks man! It is a matter of time. I have some more work to do, but it certainly motivates me to stay after it!

-----------------

BEST POSTCONTEST LEG WORKOUT YET

I finally felt recovered and strong today training legs. 315 is not heavy on squats for me and today it felt lighter again as I blasted it out for a solid 9 reps, then two last sets of 6. MUCH better than the last few weeks. My training partner was back to give me a boost and we KILLED it! He has his second and last show is in 2 weeks and I'm trying to make my wheels even crazier. :cool:

The rest...

Front Squat Machine A2G 320 x 11, 330 x 11, 340 x 9
Lying Leg Curls 100 x 10 x 9
High Stance Leg Press 470 x 13, 500 x 11
Donkey Calves 360 x 10 x 8 x 8
Seated Calves 145 x 11, 150 x 8

Super slow leg curls burn like none other!! I highly recommend.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 17 2007, 10:40 PM

Another Great Workout!!

Today, my training partner and I had another great workout today training chest and biceps. I was still acclimating to the heavier weights from last week, but managed to get more repetitions or weight on EVERY exercise. I actually said to James today that we have NEVER looked this big and ripped before. He agreed. I am still uber lean and my muscles are getting bigger each week.

Sky is the limit!!!!

I feel that the 700 calorie boost directly postcontest is ideal for me. I am actually kind of surprised that I haven't softened up more after this past weekend binging. BUT, I did train directly before two of the food smashing, so my body most likely just burned through the calories.

Posted by: JW32Hoops Oct 18 2007, 07:55 AM

Great work bro, keep it up...keep gaining! Chest and biceps....LOVE the beach muscle workouts, those are the most fun.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 18 2007, 10:25 AM

QUOTE (JW32Hoops @ Oct 18 2007, 07:55 AM)

Great work bro, keep it up...keep gaining! Chest and biceps....LOVE the beach muscle workouts, those are the most fun.

Yeah, doing chest and biceps one day and then delts and triceps on another allows me to focus better on my weak points. Mega intensity going in and tons of calories after. And the pump on these days definitely ROCKS!

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 19 2007, 09:57 PM

Cardio, Calves & Abs 10/18:
I had a cheat lunch for a special occasion at work and out of guilt I did 30 minutes of cardio that evening following some calves and abs. I did seated calf raises and then standing calf raises with my toes pointed out.

More Cals and Double Duty:
I weighed in at 171 lbs today, which is up one pound from last week! To keep the gains coming along, I'm making a small increase of 300 cals to 3300 cals after 4 weeks on the same plan.

My schedule got thrown off last weekend because of the craziness, so I crammed two workouts into one. Superset all the way through, as we did shoulders, triceps and back. My shoulders are looking wider already and I got stronger on several exercises. Triceps went very well and back felt really good also. More weight or reps on every exercise. I nixed deadlifts as I'm aiming to do legs on Sunday and want to be fresh for that day. The workout took only one hour and twenty minutes.

Fun Weekend:
Tomorrow I am planning our SAE alumni hog roast for homecoming, so no gym for me. I will be smashing some pork sandwiches, tailgate food and some beers

I will bring a container of protein in my car to alternate between tailgate meals as I will be there pretty much all day. I will have to keep my game face on as this girl I've been going out with will be meeting me at the tailgate.

Sunday will consist of more DVD filming, leg training, prepping clients for the NPC Monster Mash next weekend and working on my website. BUSY DAY!!

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 21 2007, 09:16 PM

Tailgating yesterday was a good time! I kept the alcohol at a relative minimum alternating with waters, but certainly treated myself to some pulled pork sandwiches on wheat buns with some other tailgate treats.

Hardest Leg Workout Ever!!

Yup, that is right! My already insane leg training was taken to a new level after I received some inspiration watching the Hide Yamagishi DVD. This Milos-induced leg training was due for a shock to my legs. The last few weeks the focus had been heavy and I wanted a change of pace. After shooting some DVD footage this morning, I told Jeff from Max Muscle I wanted to give it a whirl. He lit up like a little kid on Christmas and said he'd stick around to spot and motivate. This is certainly not for the novice and should only be done every once in a while. Circuit/Giant sets were done as follows:

Warm-up/Set 1/Set 2:

A1- A2G Narrow Front Squats @ 95/155/175
A2- Wide/Forward Smith Machine Squats @ 95/135/145
A3- Walking DB Lunges @ 30/30/30
A4- Low/Narrow Leg Press @ 180/200/210
A5- Walking DB Lunges @ 25/30/30
A6- Leg Extension @ 50/50/50

After a warm-up and 2 sets, I was panting like crazy, sweating profusely and wobbly. I looked up at Jeff and told him to bring on hack squats!! Oh, I took in extra waxy maize starch with my Purple Wraath and MaxGlutamine to keep me going. No more warm-ups necessary.

B1- Sissy Squats on Hack Squat Machine @ No weight/no weight
B2- Wide Hack Squats @ up to 100 lbs - Jeff gradually added 25 lbs on this one till I could not push any more
B3- Reverse Wide Hack Squats - 2 sets with unknown weight

FYI, we didn't really count reps during this workout. I did 8-20 reps and when I couldn't do any more, Jeff would spot me through 2-3 more reps.

Lying Leg Curls @ 100/105 - drop set to 55
High Stance Leg Press @ 270/320

That one drop set killed my hammies and then I did around 20 reps on the leg presses and could barely stand afterwards. I did fall out of machines a few times during this workout. GOOD STUFF!!!

Posted by: opfor101 Oct 21 2007, 09:42 PM

wow by the sound of it, your intensity level at the gym is twice mine (at least)

got to do legs this week (havent hit em for 2 months) so im pretty much looking
at a major DOMS after an intense leg workout.

looks like you havent even slipped one bit on your training and eating.

I'll see you at the next September show,
expect to see me on stage

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 22 2007, 09:18 AM

QUOTE (opfor101 @ Oct 21 2007, 09:42 PM)

From training with you for 30 minutes, I can tell you that my intensity is at least twice as much as yours. You have much more room to push.

I have not taken off time from training legs in over 5 years. I do not miss meals. The only offseason slip is that I occasionally eat bad foods like pulled pork with bbq sauce on wheat with potato salad and cookie cake.

I am trying to grow though, so the main key is to eat enough.

I really think that doing the teen division at the Naturalmania in September is a PERFECT start for you. Give that Epistane crap away and set your goals on not missing ANY meals or ANY workouts. Also, strive to lift with very strict form, feeling your muscles as much as possible and kicking up your intensity. Throwing weight around doesn't build quality muscle. Let me know if you need any help come go time as I would enjoy helping you out in any way possible.

The INBF also has their World's in a few weeks that you should check out, which brings the best of the best in natural competition. FYI, they also have a show in June that my training partner may be doing, so you may see me sooner that you think. I'd be happy to smash some weights with you if we come out to NYC then.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 22 2007, 10:02 PM

Chest & Bi Bashing:

Today, I mixed it up a little on my chest and biceps day as I trained with a client, Sean, who is getting ready to compete again this spring. James is doing another show this weekend, so he is training light.

Incline DB presses with 95's felt lighter as I nearly got 9 reps. Next week I'm getting 9 and moving up to 100's for sure. We did a little more volume all over, since that is Sean's style and I was feeling strong, so I went with it.

My bis felt a little fatigued going in to the workout, which affected my barbell curls. We did a 3rd set of hammer curls as I blasted out 45's for 10 x 9 x 8 reps. The real fun was in doing the preacher machine last and then after our second set with 75 lbs, we did one drop set with 45 lbs that required much help from the spotter. This lit my arms on FIRE and I think they already sore from this.

FYI, walking, stairs, getting out of a chair is not fun today. Tomorrow, should be really fun for the good ole wheels. I slammed a little extra clean food last night following the exhausting workout.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 24 2007, 10:47 AM

3 days later and my legs are still ridiculously sore! I can barely contract my quads.

Chest and bis are feeling it too. NICE! Bring on deads and back today!!

I blasted my calves yesterday real quick doing a tri-set of donkey calf raises, seated calves and ground raises. Afterwards I did 15 minutes on the ellpitical to loosen up my legs, which apparently didn't do much.

I have come to the conclusion that my stomach doesn't handle cottage cheese or dairy well earlier in the morning. I used to do the cottage cheese and beef for quite some time with fruit and I occasionally had issues. I've been just doing beef and fruit for meal 2 with no probs, but I had a smaller piece of beef, so I added some cottage cheese for extra protein. Stomach and digestion issues occured about 30 minutes later. Live and learn.

Posted by: Will109090 Oct 24 2007, 11:10 AM

Rich, is it okay to deads even though your legs are still really sore?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 24 2007, 11:31 AM

QUOTE (Will109090 @ Oct 24 2007, 11:10 AM)

Rich, is it okay to deads even though your legs are still really sore?

While my quads are killing me, my lower back, hips and hamstrings feel fine. I didn't do them last week, so it's on today!

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 24 2007, 09:11 PM

HOLY BACK WORKOUT:

I hit another workout with Sean today who is wanting to work on width, so we mixed it up a little to help a bro out. He is a big volume guy too, so naturally we did a couple more sets/exercises than usual. I was feeling good, so I was up for it. I had not deadlifted in almost two weeks, because of my schedule last week and despite extreme quad soreness these went very well. My hips, lower back and hammies felt fine, so it was on for deads. Working sets for this back smashing include...

Deads: 395 x 9, 405 x 6
Weighted Wide-Grip Pullups: 15 x 6, 10 x 6 x 5
1-Arm DB Rows: 100 x 9, 105 x 8 x 8
Wide-Grip Underhand Seated Rows: 160 x 9, 165 x 7 x 7
Bent-Over DB Rows: 30 x 13 - drop set immediately after seated rows
Close-Grip Pulldowns: 180 x 7, 150 x 13 - OUCH!!!
DB Shrugs: 115 x 12 x 9 - Traps toast
Rear Delt Machine: 90 x 9 x 9 - Rear delts shot from all of the back work

I have a feeling soreness is gonna be severe top to bottom in my entire back the next few days.

FYI, I did some quick calves and cardio yesterday with a tri-set of donkey calf raises, seated calf raises and ground raises. I just did some elliptical work in an attempt to loosen up my ridiculously tight quads.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 25 2007, 09:41 PM

The name of the game this week seems to be PUNISHMENT. Punish my muscles to such an extent, so that growth is the only option.

My leg soreness is still quite severe 4 days later after that hardcore leg day on Sunday. I may need to take an extra day of rest to let them recover. To top it off my back is quite sore and swolen from my erectors to traps.

DELT & TRI BLASTING:

Today I blasted delts and tris with extra strict form and intensity. The result = extreme pump and abuse of the muscles. It felt GREAT!! Jeff from Max Muscle was there to give me a spot along with one of best friend's Greg. Having a strong support network makes all the difference in the world. They want muscle growth for me almost as much as I do.

I did several forced reps on close-grips and decline skullcrushers, which hurt like an S.O.B. then finished of my tris with a drop set on kickbacks. Those HURT!!

I felt extremely swolen afterwards and treated myself to a mega calorie burrito bol from Chipotle after a week of clean eating. Steak, chicken, rice, black beans, pico, corn, lettuce and light on cheese. YUM!!

My new stock of protein form Max Muscle includes MaxPro Chocolate, Gourmet Rootbeer Float and IsoExtreme Tropical Punch. Variety is a very good thing!!

Posted by: Will109090 Oct 26 2007, 12:50 AM

Rich, what does your delt workout look like?

Posted by: typeRob Oct 26 2007, 01:19 AM

QUOTE (Will109090 @ Oct 26 2007, 12:50 AM)

Rich, what does your delt workout look like?

and why do you train rear delts on back day rather than shoulder day?

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 26 2007, 09:08 AM

QUOTE (Will109090 @ Oct 26 2007, 12:50 AM)

Rich, what does your delt workout look like?

Currently: Military Presses, Seated DB Lateral Raises & Upright Bar Rows

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 26 2007, 09:13 AM

QUOTE (typeRob @ Oct 26 2007, 01:19 AM)

and why do you train rear delts on back day rather than shoulder day?

Rear delts are used in rowing movements. I cannot train back one day, then rear delts the next.

For example, last week I started with the rear delt machine at 105 lbs and then did back. I smashed my back first 2 days ago and could only do 90 lbs on the rear delt machine. My rear delts were already spent from back.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 26 2007, 07:01 PM

My bodyweight was up to 172 lbs (up 1 lb) from last week. I took a random waist measure and was happy to measure 29.5".

Off day today.

Tomorrow, I travel to Cinci to watch the NPC Monster Mash where 3 of my clients will be competing, including my training partner. The last show for the year here locally until next spring. My legs are still sore, so I may just hit bis, calves and forearms down there and smash legs and chest on Sunday.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 28 2007, 10:30 PM

This weekend turned out to be crazier than expected. My old roommate announced last minute that he would be coming into town one last time on Friday before moving. So, drinks were required. No lifting that day, so I indulged a bit despite trying to fend off peer pressure.

Another Win for my Training Partner
And then....I had to drive first thing that morning 1.5 hours to arrive at the NPC Monster Mash at 10am. I felt a little sub-par, but not too bad. Good thing for Starbucks. My boy, James looked AMAZING!! He won the middleweight class of 15 competitors and was again close in the overall. He carried 157 lbs like 170. Michael made the second callout and placed towards the top of the grouping.

I truly enjoy going to shows to watch and meet lots of different people. I met some very nice people and view these events as opportunity to network my business and make friends. Not to mention that going to shows pumps me up to smash weights!

Awesome Hardcore Gym and Calf Discovery
I hit my biceps, forearms and calves at a killer gym in Middletown, OH. Powerstation Gym was a huge old school gym with tons of equipment, no frills and lots of heavy weights. Truly awesome! I did some drop sets again for bis and had a great pump going. While training there, I stumbled across a new way that I will be training calves when standing. WITHOUT SHOES! My buddy told me I was able to get up an extra half inch and that my calves just popped alot more. And the beauty was that I had trouble walking today b/c they were so sore!! Yeah baby!!

After the show was finished, we went out and celebrated despite being really tired. We smashed some grub and headed to downtown Cinci where Halloween was hopping in full effect. We slammed some drinks and mingled with some interesting characters, haha! All in good fun.

Leg and Chest Supersets
Today was rough as I was REALLY tired, but pushed through an okay workout. Too much partying, but every once in a while is fine. I do not recommend doing legs and chest in the same workout, particularly supersetted. I was crunched for time and had to move my days around b/c of the extreme leg soreness. Legs just takes too much out of you to do a large body part together.

Posted by: opfor101 Oct 28 2007, 10:33 PM

wow even when tired, the Man still lifts the iron.

it seems like your gaining good LBM already while keeping the fat off.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 29 2007, 07:52 AM

QUOTE (opfor101 @ Oct 28 2007, 10:33 PM)

wow even when tired, the Man still lifts the iron.

it seems like your gaining good LBM already while keeping the fat off.

Hell yeah! It was rough, but I got after it even moving up on a few exercises. There is no room for slacking.

Yeah, I am staying pretty lean. That is a goal of mine, so that I don't have to drop tons of fat come precontest time. Plus, you just look better lean.

Posted by: rich_55 Oct 31 2007, 09:17 PM

Few Good Workouts with Sean

James is taking a break for few days, so I have been smashing weights with Sean who will be competing as a light-heavy next Spring. Our workouts have been great and we are killing it!! Back was again brutal similar to last time except that I did more weight on everything and felt like I could fly away cuz my lats were so pumped.:cool: I nixed deads as leg day was simply to close together on both ends. Next week it is on though!

We had a great delt and triceps workout today and my delts have never looked that swole before. Tri blasting was solid and many forced reps were used as usual, high intensity style! My back continues to get ridiculously sore and I'm sure my entire upper body will be feeling it tomorrow.

On Friday I begin training with James again and we will be doing some higher rep training for a little while in the 10-15 range to shock our bodies.

Tough Week for Clean Eating

From Tuesday evening through Saturday I have many social/work obligations that will affect food. Last night a friend flew in from Turkey, so we did dinner, breakfast and lunch. I had a small strip, veggies and 2 glasses of red wine last night and didn't pass on the butter as it was a tapas portion. I figured I could use the extra cals since I trained hard and it was smaller portions.

Breakfast I slammed a scoop of MaxPro and banana then we hit up First Watch where I got a bowl of oatmeal with cranberries, whole wheat toast and a ham and cheese egg white omelet minus the butter. Lunch I did a chicken sandwich on whole wheat with avocado and tomato with broccoli. My bread was lightly buttered by mistake, but I wasn't gonna pitch a fit.

Tomorrow I have a breakfast and lunch for work. Breakfast will be a little dirty as I don't get to choose my food, but the extra cals will be needed after tonight's workout. Lunch will be good. Friday I'm having lunch with a friend and I will probably suggest the organic trendy place. Saturday is the Wisconsin game at home and I'm not sure what is going on there.

The point of all this is I'm super busy with obligations, but still keeping it mostly clean. All it takes is will power...and a little creativity.

Posted by: Kevin43403 Oct 31 2007, 10:17 PM

Yea, I feel you about the will power. Is First Watch any good? Theres one here in dayton but I have never tried it.

Posted by: goodskie Oct 31 2007, 10:33 PM

i do real delts on back day as well

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 1 2007, 02:22 PM

QUOTE (Kevin43403 @ Oct 31 2007, 10:17 PM)

Is First Watch any good? Theres one here in dayton but I have never tried it.

Yeah it ROCKS! They have both delicious healthy and unhealthy stuff. The works omelet and banana crunch pancakes are a fav of mine.

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 2 2007, 10:16 AM

Yesterday, I just did calves and cardio. I have switched up my calf raise form after extreme soreness following my out-of-town workout last weekend. I will be doing these much slower with a 2 second contraction and 2 second stretch.

Slow Seated Calf Raises 125 x 13 x 12 x 10
Barefoot Slow Standing Calf Raises 140 x 12 x 12 x 10, ground raises after

I did 20 minutes on the elliptical afterwards.

New training begins today with LEGS and good ole James is back after a little time off following his shows! Time to become some of the biggest, baddest natural bodybuilders around!!!!

The biggest change in training will be doing 10-15 reps and many new exercises.

Posted by: JW32Hoops Nov 2 2007, 10:18 AM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 10:16 AM)

The biggest change in training will be doing 10-15 reps and many new exercises.

What is your usual rep range? Or do you not have a "usual" range and switch all the time?

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 2 2007, 12:59 PM

QUOTE (JW32Hoops @ Nov 2 2007, 10:18 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 10:16 AM)

The biggest change in training will be doing 10-15 reps and many new exercises.

What is your usual rep range? Or do you not have a "usual" range and switch all the time?

6-10 range is my typical rep range, so this will be a good shock to my system.

Posted by: typeRob Nov 2 2007, 08:39 PM

rich youre one dedicated dude.
i got a question for ya though. say if for some reason you dont get your natty pro card, will you continue to stay natural? what if you had the opportunity of getting a pro card non naturally? would you switch over to the dark side so to speak?
i dont mean to sound disrespectful in anyway, i think you will get your natty pro card. just wondering what you would do if you cant for some reason...
anyways good luck bro keep smashin those weights

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 2 2007, 10:42 PM

Higher Reps = OUCH!

I primarily train in the 6-10 rep range, so to induce some hypertrophy I'm jacking my reps up to 10-15. James was back after his small postcontest break and we kicked off the new workout with some LEGS!!

One thing is for certain, high reps HURT! The burn is excruciating and I love it. My legs were SO pumped and full of blood that walking was difficult. Doing a new workout in itself causes extreme soreness, so not as many sets were needed:

Squats 275 x 13, 285 x 12 x 10
Leg Extensions 140 x 14 x 12
Standing 1-Leg Curls 40 x 15, 45 x 17
High Stance Leg Press 500 x 17, 520 x 12

I did calves yesterday with some light elliptical work for cardio. Slowing down my rep speed and pausing at the top and bottom for 2 seconds has made a big difference on my calves these last 2 weeks. Standing calve raises are being done shoeless for maximum stretch and contraction. I'm lovin it!!

We are getting in the gym at 10 am to tear up chest and biceps before retreating to campus to watch the Buckeyes tear up Wisconsin!! We win out and I may have to make plans for New Orleans!

BODYWEIGHT CHECK: 173 lbs (up 1 lb in a week)

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM

QUOTE (typeRob @ Nov 2 2007, 08:39 PM)

Hey Typerob, no disrespect taken at all. Good questions. Thanks!

I was really close to obtaining a natural pro card last year in that I was just one point away from 2nd place and 1st gets a natural pro card. I gained 4 lbs of lean mass in 3 months last year of offseason alone and I'm confident that with 7-8 month of offseason I can bring a much different and improved package to stage to contend.

If I don't take it home it NYC, then I will do a few more shows the month following to go after it some more. If that is not enough, then it is not my time. I am patient though and enjoy the process. At 27 years old, I have plenty of time. I've been lifting for most of my life now and will be doing this as long as I can.

About the dark side...I have no desire. There are far too many reason why I don't want to go that route. I don't want that look. I prefer aesthetic muscularity and shape over sheer mass. I don't want a look that most people do not find appealing. That just is not desirable to me.

Also, as a trainer what better way to really learn how to build muscle then doing it the hard way yourself. Staying natural sets a good example for aspiring bodybuilders, landed my sponsors, will preserve my health, libido, perspective and positive mental spirit.

I don't have any delusions of grandeur, I just love to lift and strive to better myself and help others.

Posted by: J-Freak25 Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

About the dark side...I have no desire. There are far too many reason why I don't want to go that route. I don't want that look. I prefer aesthetic muscularity and shape over sheer mass. I don't want a look that most people do not find appealing. That just is not desirable to me.

Also, as a trainer what better way to really learn how to build muscle then doing it the hard way yourself. Staying natural sets a good example for aspiring bodybuilders, landed my sponsors, will preserve my health, libido, perspective and positive mental spirit.

I don't have any delusions of grandeur, I just love to lift and strive to better myself and help others.

I agree with all of that, I think there are way to many people that start lifting and want to just blow up instantly. They don't want to do it naturally because it takes a lot longer and is way harder then just shooting yourself up with something or taking some kind of pills.

Posted by: Vaporize Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

Posted by: J-Freak25 Nov 4 2007, 06:52 PM

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

What are your goals if you don't mind me asking?

Posted by: Vaporize Nov 4 2007, 07:18 PM

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 06:52 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

What are your goals if you don't mind me asking?

I like that ugly look Rich doesn't like

But ultimately I want to step on Mr. Olympia stage... But for now I want to compete in non natural division.

Posted by: J-Freak25 Nov 4 2007, 07:41 PM

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 4 2007, 07:18 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 06:52 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

What are your goals if you don't mind me asking?

I like that ugly look Rich doesn't like

But ultimately I want to step on Mr. Olympia stage... But for now I want to compete in non natural division.

LoL yeah I understand what your saying, I want to compete naturally, we all just have different goals. My opinion is that if you are going to take a step over to the "dark side" I think it is the most benificial to get to your genetic limit naturally then if you want to get bigger and want to make that decision then do it. I just feel that there is to many people out there that are going over to the "dark side" at a very early age without having learned the lifting baisics like proper nutrition and training splits.

Posted by: typeRob Nov 4 2007, 08:33 PM

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 07:41 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 4 2007, 07:18 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 06:52 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

What are your goals if you don't mind me asking?

I like that ugly look Rich doesn't like

But ultimately I want to step on Mr. Olympia stage... But for now I want to compete in non natural division.

like vaporize said, it depends on your goals. btw, most of the pros that make it started at a "very early" age. here is an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec8aDR6OL5Y
jay cutler, branch warren, arnold, lee priest to name a few all obviously started juice 18 years old or possibly younger.
the people that start too early are the ones that dont know what theyre doing and have a lack of knowledge.

just my 2ml

Posted by: J-Freak25 Nov 4 2007, 08:47 PM

QUOTE (typeRob @ Nov 4 2007, 08:33 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 07:41 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 4 2007, 07:18 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 4 2007, 06:52 PM)

QUOTE (Vaporize @ Nov 3 2007, 09:35 PM)

QUOTE (J-Freak25 @ Nov 3 2007, 12:53 AM)

QUOTE (rich_55 @ Nov 2 2007, 11:11 PM)

Depends on your goals.

What are your goals if you don't mind me asking?

I like that ugly look Rich doesn't like

But ultimately I want to step on Mr. Olympia stage... But for now I want to compete in non natural division.

And like I said earlier we all have our own goals, vap has his which is cool, I wish him the best of luck at what he does. I'm not knocking anyone that takes roids or anything I was just saying how I feel about the situation. It isn't for me and I just think people should reach there natural limit first and make sure they know what they are doing before they go off like a dumb ass and start shooting there self up with a bunch of shit!

Posted by: opfor101 Nov 4 2007, 10:08 PM

ok lets take this to the offtopic or something, remember this is Rich's thread.

btw Jay Cutler held alot of water weight in that vid.

Posted by: rich_55 Nov 4 2007, 10:22 PM

To each their own. There are many caveats for those that go the other route should consider. More to mention here in this thread. Good luck prepping for your first show Vaporize!

Saturday Morning Training

I rested up on Friday night to hit the gym early on Saturday before the Bucks game. I am not used to working out in the morning, but it awesome for day 1 on my new chest and biceps training. The joys of nutrient timing:

8:45 - P-Slin (weak point days only) and Cissus upon waking
9:00 - Pounded shake of 1 c oats, 1 small banana, 1 scoop Chocolate MaxPro, 1.5 scoops Strawberry Shortcake Gourmet Protein
9:45 - White Flood, Green Magnitude and ALCAR
10:15 - Purple Wraath, MaxGlutamine and Waxy Maize Starch

Chest and biceps supers